Golf Club Fitting

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Inside 100 yds

I found myself towards the end of last season always playing punch and runs, knock down 7 & 8 irons and taking less than full swings whenever inside 100 yards. I'm worried that mentally I cant take full wedge shots at this distance anymore. I'm typically just looking to get onto the green, which usually leaves me with quite the long putts bc I don't really know my full wedge distances. Should I stick to what works for me or try to work more full swing wedge play into my game?

I guess it depends how much time you have, and how much of it you want to dedicate it to practicing. If you don't have the time I would stick with what is working for you. If you do have time though you might consider practicing chipping from within 100 yards to improve that area. The main priority though is doing what works best for you. You don't have to be the tour star who hits it a mile in the air and rolls it back to within 3 feet. However with practice this would most likely lower your scores, but for amateurs like us were better off with the punches and knock down shots.

First of all, you know your game better than any of us on here. While this may work best for you, I am pretty sure that once you get a hang of your wedges, you'll be far better off without the bump-and-runs. Take some practice hacks with your wedges with no balls, and then at the range. With your wedges, place the ball anywhere from 2 balls behind the center of your stance (higher shot) to parallel with your back foot (boring, lower trajectory). Open your stance and get your hips involved. I also tend to stand pretty close to the ball. That's preference, but maybe you prefer to stand further away from the ball. Try it. Also, make sure you take that divot after striking the ball. I find my wedges to be the best part of my game. I am constantly taking practice swings at home and take great effort into consistently hitting crisp shots. Depending on the slopes and speed of the greens you're shooting at, hitting the bump and run may hurt you. With time, you will get the hang of your wedges and work it out. It's all part of the game. Good luck.

In my opinion being able to hit a wedge into a green is a very big factor in scoring. If you are not confident just work at it. Hit maybe one wedge for a round then the next round hit two. You could also go out to the course when no one else is out there and drop a few balls and keep hitting wedges into the green. One thing that helps me get it close is I try to get the back of my left hand pointed at the target on my downswing. My wedge game has greatly improved since I got that tip. For me now anything within 115 yds I know I can get up and down and at the worst take 3 strokes to get in. Hope this helps. By the way half the battle is confidence so start trying to build some up and you will see your wedge shots closer and your scores lower.

I would say stick with what works for you, but if you get good with your full wedges you can become pretty accurate from 100 yards. Practice is what will make you better. Try things out and find out what fits you best. Good Luck

Concentrate more on your weak points or things you could get better on.

What I do is create a laundry list after I get done on any round of golf. The stuff you don't do on a routine basis (for instance if you don't get in a lot of bunkers) should be part of practice routines as should adding new things to the shot arsenal.

to take the next step you have to hit wedges or you just simply can't consistently get close. Too many factors between you and the green on punch and runs. There are times and places for it, but if you want to help your score, work on wedge control. It will come with work. You should actually hit more wedges at the range than any other club, as you will more than likely hit more every single round. To me hitting a full shot is much more consistent than trying to gauge what % of a knock down club I need. Control with wedges is usually better, and really in only a few range sessions you'll have a good feel for distance with each wedge

I always found that if something is giving me trouble, the best way to fix it is to identify the problem and eliminate it...It will take some practice and effort on your part ,but its a problem you can conquer..Go to the range with your wedge only and hit balls until you feel confident with your swing....Don't worry about distance or aim, just swing until you feel comfort...Then pick your yardage marker and hit balls until you can get a 10yd dispersed area with 10 ball....Then work on shrinking the area...Apply this too all your wedges and will score better. I was a knockdown player for years until I tried this..Now i'm flag hunting...Good luck...

I use a PW from full swing to "around the green". And I fly the ball to the green, it will stop. True there are hole positions where I can't get the ball close, so I don't try.

Remember, PGA avg is 35ft.

The 52 is my general purpose short game club and I work it from 30' to 90 yards. The PW I work 20-110 yards but use it around the greens when they are a bit soft. I also have a 60 yard half swing pitch with a 9 iron when I hit uphill to a 2 tier green with the pin near the back.

I also train on bunker shots with my 9 iron down (a Tony Jacklin tip on Golf Channel Academy). The beauty of AP1s is they don't dig a hole to China in soft bunkers.

There's only one way to figure out how far you hit your clubs and that is to measure them. I'm completely unqualified to give swing tips, but here's how I worked my short irons. I took each club and hit about 10 balls with my full swing, 9 o clock swing and 7 o clock swing. The idea is to swing equally hard, just don't take it back as far, which gives you shorter distances. For each wedge, you should have 3 distances (full, half and quarter shots). I hit my wedges (PW-52*-58*) about 100-80-60 on full shots. My 9 o clock PW goes about 80 too so depending on the shot I want I can choose half PW or full 52*. Someone else said it: practice, practice, practice

Also, I'll practice target golf with different clubs, so I'll try to hit the 50 yard marker with all of my wedges, and even longer irons if I'm in the mood. On the course when I play by myself, I'll hit a second shot with an 'uncomfortable' club just for fun, to see if I can pull it off. Pitch and run for a 30 yarder for instance, but also try a flopper from the same spot. Just give it a try, your hardest swing as high as you can hit it with your most lofted wedge, just for fun. You'll be surprised at how comfortable you get, and how fast you'll turn into a feel player around the greens. Take a bucket to the short game area and spend a whole afternoon practicing flop shots. I can recommend Phil's DVD to learn how you do it.

My handicap came down from 27 to 22 last year because I've gotten better at pulling off different types of shots. It should probably be much lower, but I really like taking a chance. To me, over the course of a round, pulling off a big fat flop is worth skulling one into the woods :)

Brent, I yhink most of it has already been said. I am on board with hitting full,75% and 50% shots and maybe even 25% shot with each of your wedges and learning how far they go. "practice practice practice" and pick up Dave Pelz's short game bible it's all in there.